Canada will spend over CA$ 1 billion in hosting games for the forthcoming football World Cup, with the cost per fixture working out to approximately CA$ 82 million.
The estimates were released on Wednesday by the Office of Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer, which said that based on the most recent information, total government support to co-host the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup will be CA$ 1,066 million.
Of this, federal support will be CA$ 473 million, with the remainder of CA$ 593 million funded by other levels of government – the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia and the host cities of Toronto and Vancouver.
Canada is hosting 13 matches, with seven in Vancouver and six in Toronto. The tournament begins on June 11 and ends with the final on July 19.
Canada will host its first-ever World Cup match on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto, where the home team will take on Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The last fixture in the country will be on July 7 in Vancouver, a pre-quarter final encounter.
This is the first time the tournament is being co-hosted by three countries – the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The government has said that it expects the World Cup to add CA$ 2 billion to the country’s economy, and expects to attract over a million visitors.
